Breathe Into Me
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Sakura Haruno feels as though she is dead inside. She turns to Naruto, her only remaining teammate for comfort. But when an old friend destroys the Leaf village, will Sakura have the strength to do what she has to do to survive? I do not own Naruto. R


It's been two years. Two years since he left. Two years since his smile had graced my eyes with radiant light that ultimately warmed my chest. Two years since he had left my heart in pieces of shattered glass. I missed him. I still do. I've tried going on like I never knew him, which is easier than I thought it would be, since I have Ino Yamanaka, one of my peers, and Naruto, my sole remaining teammate. Naruto…Why does that name bring so much happiness to me? Is it because he promised me something that I could never achieve by myself? Or maybe Yamato's right. Maybe I do. I've often found myself staring out of my windows at the horizon, the clouds weaving together to form Naruto and Sasuke's faces, both smiling down at me. I've cried tears of pain and sadness at losing the both of them, but…Naruto…Why does his name linger on my lips like a stubborn snowflake refusing to melt on your rosy cheek? Why do these gales of emotions swell up through my veins as if racing my blood at the very thought of him?

"Sakura! Shouldn't you be heading out to help Naruto and Sai? It's nearly the time Kakashi-sensei told you to meet him at the Flower Shop!" My mother called, her voice barely able to reach me as I lost myself in my reverie. _Oh Naruto…_

"SAKURA!!!" She shouted, flinging open the door, the sound of it hitting the wall startling me. I swung around, my red headband crashing to the floor.

"Mother, I'll be right-" I stopped midsentence, seeing Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sai standing at the door behind my mother. They smiled, their eyes laughing. I turned back to the mirror, seeing my pink bangs shielding my eyes in a messy way, causing me to flush. Bright red. I fumbled for the brush, my fingers brushing cherry blossom petals that had fallen through the window after I had woken up. Sai opened his book, sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"When a girl flushes in front of the guy she loves, you should reach out and comfort her." He quoted, giving Naruto a glance. I stiffened, feeling the switch that kept my temper shut off flip up, anger flowing through me.

"Are you KIDDING me?!" I whirled around, and felt my hand snap forward, my right fist connecting with Sai's left cheek. He flew backwards, shooting through the open window, and slamming into the side of the cherry tree that was outside of my room. I stormed over to the window, and leaned out, watching him slide down the side of the trunk.

"I can't believe you think that I flushed in front of all of you stupid male perverts!" I cried, my voice echoing across the village.

"If you think that I would blush just because Naruto is in the room, you don't know me very well!" I continued, my green eyes getting angrier and angrier. Sai struggled to stand up, and gritted his teeth.

"I know you well enough, Ugly." He replied. I brought my foot up on the window sill, and prepared to jump out. Naruto ran across the room, just as I had brought my other foot up, and reached for my left hand, which lingered on the left side of the window.

"Sakura, don't!" He cried, and I turned around, my feet catching on the plastic window rims, and I started to fall.

"AGHHHHH!" I screamed, my body in mid air. My mother and Kakashi-sensei ran over to the window, watching me with horrified eyes.

"Sai, catch her!" Naruto shouted, Sai nodding back at him before jumping up into the air, holding his arms out as I fell into them. I watched the ground come up under us, and felt Sai's feet touch the ground as we landed safely. Sai helped me stand up, and I held my right hand over his bruise, green fire glowing over it.

"I'm sorry for punching you. That looked like it hurt…" My voice trailed off as the bruise slowly vanished, the green fire fading away. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and my mother ran out the door toward us, as I pulled out my gloves.

"Sakura, are you alright?" My mother asked, checking me over from head to toe, then handing my tan ninja pack. I took it from her, and attached it to my waist, setting the green case on top of it.

"Yes, I'm alright. Let's just go." I replied, turning and walking toward the street. Naruto took a step after me, and poked me with something.

"Um, Sakura. You're forgetting two things. Your hairbrush, and your headband." He muttered to my back. I turned around, and took them from him, and dipped my head.

"Thank you Naruto." I replied, and ran back into the house, bolting up the stairs back to my mirror. I fixed my hair, and tied the headband into it, setting the hairbrush back onto the vanity, and turned to the window. _He really is an awesome friend, isn't he? _I ran back down the stairs, and shut the front door behind me just as the wind blew, petals flying into my face in huge swirling clumps. The only thing I could see through the huge pink cloud was a yellow blob, which I knew to be Naruto, and I dashed toward him, my face being buffeted by falling flowers. I slid to a stop right alongside my comrades, my hair full of flowers, which Sai and Naruto preceded to go a shake them off of my head.

"Hey! You're messing up my hair!" I cried, and swatted at them. My blows were poorly aimed, and naturally they missed, but they were laughing, which was good. I bit my bottom lip as they stopped, and looked up at the sky. _I miss the old times. Me, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and most of all, Sasuke. But, the past is over and done…_I took off running down the street, rounding the corner before they had even left the driveway. I dodged old ladies, weaving between young children, jumping over benches, and tearing down stairs. Finally the flower shop was in sight, and I narrowed my eyes, lifting up my legs to run faster, my shoes making hard thumps on the dirt street. Finally, I made it through the door, sliding across the rock work floors, and crashing into Ino. Or what I thought was Ino. I knocked the person over, and managed to barely hold myself up over the person, opening my eyes after catching my breath. Dark eyes stared back at me, endlessly beautiful, a familiar smile, hauntingly familiar. I cocked my head. _Sasuke…? _

"You must think I'm Sasuke, right? That's why you're staring at me like you've seen a ghost!" Naruto laughed from under me, and I blinked.

"R-Right. I thought you were Sasuke for a few seconds. S-Sorry." I replied, flustered. I lifted myself up higher, and stared down at him simply. _He hasn't changed at all…Even though I thought he was Sasuke…Why is that…?_ Naruto's face turned into a confused frown.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?" He asked. I blinked and flushed like an idiot.

"Huh?" I replied, getting up, and helping him get to his feet. He shook his head, and turned to Kakashi-sensei. _Okay, something is wrong with me…_Ino bumped me from behind.

"Looks like you were getting cozy with Naruto. Is it true that you've already forgotten about Sasuke then?" She asked teasingly. I narrowed my eyes at her from over my shoulder, my pink bangs getting in my eyes.

"Shut up, Ino. I haven't forgotten about Sasuke. I just…" I started, my voice trailing off as I watched Sai and Shikamaru shove rice balls into Naruto and Chouji's mouths. Ino came up next to me, crossing her arms over her chest as I flattened my right hand on my hip, both of us smiling at them.

"Are too caught up in what's happening now between you and Naruto?" She suggested, cocking her head to the side as she widened her sky blue eyes at me innocently. I nodded once, laughing.

"Yeah, that's right." I replied, and she smiled.

"That's just like you, Sakura. Always worrying about what's going on around you." She answered, and we leaned on each other, laughing like we've been friends forever. The boys looked over at us, and we looked up, then at each other, turning around back to back, and crossing our arms over our chests, ignoring each other's existence. I fought back a laugh, and I could feel Ino's back start to shake as she struggled to hold back extreme laughter. Finally, we couldn't take it anymore. Ino crashed to the floor, me close behind as the flower shop erupted with laughs, Ino and I clutching our stomachs. Naruto, Chouji, Sai, Shikamaru, and Kakashi-sensei stared at us with confused expressions.

"What did we do?" Naruto asked. Sai flipped open his book, and my ears honed in on the sound of the pages turning.

"When a girl is front of the guy she likes, she'll often laugh for no reason at all, attempting to cover up that she was staring at him." Sai quoted, Naruto's mouth dropping to the floor along with Kakashi-sensei's. I flashed over to Sai's side, and lifted my hand up.

"Sai, I've gotten sick of your-" I stopped, widening my irises. I lowered my hand, and looked down, biting my bottom lip.

"I'm sorry. Do what you want." I finished, turning, and walking out the door. Ino took a few steps after me, until Naruto stopped her, jogging after me.

"Ino, I'll handle this." He told her, and followed me. I ran down the street, way a head of Naruto, making it to the bench where Sasuke had left me, sitting down, and clutching my legs to my chest. Tears started to fall, dropping onto my knees.

"Why did he have to go? I feel so alone…" I moaned, wiping at my eyes.

"You aren't alone, Sakura. I miss him too." I turned at the sound of the voice, and saw Naruto walking over to the bench. He sat down next to me, and I looked over at him with red eyes.

"Why did you come after me?" I asked stupidly, closing my eyes slightly. He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head.

"I don't know. I just felt something coming off of you. It hit me like a wave. " He explained, looking up at the sky. I laughed once.

"Must have been some wave." I replied. He looked over at me.

"That wasn't the only reason. It's because you're my friend." He answered, his blue eyes serious. I looked back at the ground from between my knees.

"I miss him so much. I knew it would be so hard to go on without him. I knew it. I told him that, I knew what it was like to be alone. But, the truth is, I'd never really known what it felt like until now." I responded, my voice starting to break. His face turned sympathetic.

"What did Sasuke say after that?" Naruto asked quietly. I closed my eyes tightly.

"He said I haven't changed. That I'm still annoying. I tried to stop him from leaving, I really did. But, he knocked me out before I could do it by force." I replied, sobbing. Naruto looked back at the ground.

"Then he really is lost. I'm just not sure if I can keep my promise, Sakura. Not after the fight I had with him that day I said that I would bring him back for you." He murmured. I looked over at him, my movements quick with surprise.

"My promise…?" I asked quietly, still stunned. He nodded, and slumped down, resting his hands between his knees.

"Yes, your promise. The truth is, I lost to Sasuke that day. I couldn't stop him from leaving. I fought hard, and so did he. But, he overwhelmed me. And before I could get a handle on him, he beat me." Naruto replied, his voice getting quieter. I let my head fall onto his right shoulder, smiling slightly through my tears.

"Oh Naruto…Team 7 is a mess, don't you think?" I asked. Naruto looked over at me, surprised. The he relaxed.

"Yeah, pretty much. But it's always been this way, hasn't it?" He responded. I laughed, my right side bangs covering my face.

"True. So true. Do you remember when Kakashi-sensei gave us our first training exercise? The bells? And how we all didn't work together in order to get them from Sensei?" I laughed back, smiling brightly. He laughed too.

"That brings back so many memories." He replied, still laughing. I nodded.

"Yeah, it does. What do you say we fight for it? I think you've convinced me that we'll bring Sasuke back more than once already, Naruto." I pointed out, sitting up, and holding out my hand. He nodded, and clasped his hand with mine.

"Yeah, let's do it." He answered, and we smiled at each other. I heard footsteps coming from beside us, and I turned, seeing Ino and the others running toward us, waving.

"Sakura, Naruto! Are you guys alright?" Ino called, her long blond ponytail flying out behind her. I waved back, grabbing Naruto's hand, and standing up.

"Yeah, we're alright, Ino! No need to worry!" I answered, and started running toward her, hauling Naruto behind me. She stopped running, and I made it to her, letting go of Naruto. I heard a sound behind me, and I drew a kunai knife, throwing it as I turned around, seeing a shadow in the trees. The kunai flew through the air, hitting the tree.

"Damnit! It ducked!" I cursed. I saw a shadow stand up, from under the kunai marked tree, and edge out into the open. I stepped up in front of everyone, holding my arms out protectively.

"Sakura Haruno. The medical ninja of Team Kakashi, as well as the sharpest mind on Team 7. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" The shadow said, sounding like it was smiling. _I know that voice…_I drew another kunai knife, holding it in my right hand as I lifted it up, holding it level in my hand.

"I know it's you. Just come out. Sasuke." I snarled. The shadow shook its head.

"I am not Sasuke Uchiha. I came to speak with Naruto. " The shadow stepped out into the light, revealing itself to be Gaara. I lowered my kunai knife, and put it away. I looked at Naruto over my shoulder, my bangs blowing in my soft green eyes.

"Can we trust him?" I asked quietly, only for Naruto to hear, my lips parted slightly. Naruto nodded.

"Yes, we can. Just watch my back, okay?" He rested his hand on my shoulder as he walked by, and I smiled.

"Of course." I replied. Gaara smiled, crossing his arms. Naruto walked over to him, and they started talking quietly. Ino stepped up next to me, her eyes never leaving Gaara.

"I don't like this." She murmured. I nodded.

"Neither do I, but, we have to trust Naruto on this one." I answered. She nodded once. Kakashi –sensei came up alongside us, followed by Sai.

"I think I know what this is about…" Kakashi-sensei's voice trailed off. I looked over at him.

"What is it?" I asked. He kept his eyes forward.

"Lady Tsunade received news that Sasuke had just been sighted in the Land of Sound, among dead bodies. Apparently he had killed them all using Chidori, the jutsu that I taught him. There was no sign of a struggle, or blood. He must have converged the jutsu into currents of real lightning." He mused, closing his uncovered eye. I widened my irises.

"He killed a bunch of innocent people? Sasuke would never-" I started. Ino shifted beside me.

"Yes he would. If those people had something to do with Itachi, or his revenge. He knocked you out and left you on a bench in the middle of the night, on the road to and from the village! C'mon Sakura! Wake up!" She exclaimed. I faltered, blinking.

"You have a point, but, I don't see how all of those people would have anything to do with Itachi. He supposedly killed the whole village, am I right?" I asked, turning to Kakashi-sensei. He nodded.

"Yes and No. They didn't have anything to do with Itachi per say. They had something to do with the Uchiha clan though. Madara Uchiha to be specific. He did kill the whole village, because they didn't tell him what he wanted to know, or something like that. According to Lady Tsunade, he's on his way here, to the Leaf village." He replied. I widened my eyes for a split second.

"Then why is Gaara here?" I questioned, curious. Kakashi-sensei turned to Sai.

"The Sand village was attacked yesterday. Apparently, only a few of the villagers survived." Sai answered, keeping his eyes on Gaara. I turned back to Naruto and Gaara. _How could you be doing this, Sasuke…_Naruto turned back to us, Gaara following. I planted my feet, everyone getting ready. Naruto shook his head, and we all relaxed.

"Sasuke Uchiha is coming. Quickly. He's already in the Land of Fire." Gaara told us, his voice as deep as I remembered. Everyone nodded at the same time.

"So what do we do?" Shikamaru asked. Gaara looked at Kakashi-sensei.

"We go and meet Sasuke head-on. That may be the only way." Kakashi-sensei answered. I nodded once, stepping forward, looking down the path as the wind blew my air across the left side of my face, my eyes hard.

"I'll do it. I'll go meet Sasuke. I'm ready." I replied, my voice strong. The others looked at me, shocked. I balled my right hand into a fist, bending my arm. The wind picked up, blowing my hair into my face.

"I'm ready. I can face him, if…" I started, turning to Naruto, a gentle smile on my face. He stared back at me, as I leaned my face toward him, closing my eyes slightly.

"…If you're beside me." I finished, cocking my head to the side. Naruto widened his eyes, his face flushing red. When he got himself under control, he nodded.

"Yeah. I'll fight with you." He replied. Kakashi-sensei smiled.

"Hey, I'm coming too." He interrupted. I laughed, and nodded.

"Of course." I answered, and turned back to the sky, watching the clouds weave together into Sasuke's face. I felt Naruto shift beside me, and I turned toward him, looking at him over my right shoulder. Warm wind surged through me, coming up from my toes, into my arms, my chest. _What is this…?_

I turned back to the sky, Sasuke's face blowing away like dust. I reached up toward it with my right hand, a lone tear flying onto it, as the dust swirled around my palm, finally settling down into the center of my hand. I looked at it, more tears dropping into my palm, washing the dust away. I closed my hand, and clutched it close to my heart, closing my eyes. _Sasuke, I'm coming for you…I will bring you back, or die trying…I promise you! _

"Sakura, wake up. C'mon, open your eyes. We've got trouble." An agonized voice urged, and I opened my eyes, seeing green grass under me. I sat up, Naruto right next to me. Smoke blew across my nose, and I widened my eyes, as I saw the Leaf village in flames.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, standing up shakily. Naruto shook his head.

"Sasuke got to us-"He started. I took a few steps toward the village, watching the shapes in the smoke carefully. Although we were on a hill far from the village, and I couldn't see with my eyes, my chakra can. I reached into the ground with my chakra, a ring of wind swirling around my feet, as I closed my eyes, concentrating. My spirit swirled around the roots of the grass, flowers, trees, reaching toward the village. Dark energy edged at my pure chakra, attempting to absorb me. I pulled away from it, flying around the dark smoke. As I flew faster, the village drifted farther and farther away, a sign that darkness had come to take it from me. A hauntingly familiar darkness. I heard hissing, and slithering behind me, as the dark energy twined together, forming black snakes. _I got it! _I opened my eyes, coming back to myself with a spiritual slam, my pink bangs falling against my face.

"It was Orochimaru. I can feel it! H-"A huge jolt of pain hit me, and I fell to my left knee, holding my chest with my right hand, screwing my eyes shut tight. Naruto knelt down next to me, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head, shrinking.

"I made contact with the dark chakra when I tried to figure out who had attacked the village. Now, it's attacking me." I explained, my voice pained. I felt the pain dull, and I stood up again, only small pricks in my chest now. I pulled my gloves out of my tan pack, sliding them onto my hands, the wind blowing.

"Let's go, Naruto." I snarled, running toward the burning village. He kept up beside me, as we headed down the hill at a full-on sprint. I saw no obstacles blocking our path, and I stopped moving my feet, jumping up onto a piece of log, sliding down the steep slope of the hill on it like a snowboard. I crouched down as I picked up speed, sliding down into the street of the village, and standing up. I drew two kunai knives, lifting them up.

"Well, well. If it isn't Sakura Haruno. My lovesick puppy." I turned my head, looking all around me, the wind still intense, my speed not slowing. My eyes locked with Sasuke's black ones, as he rode a chidori stream beside me. I narrowed my eyes, and snarled.

"It was you, wasn't it? You burned the Leaf village, didn't you?" I asked, my voice low and angry. Burning buildings flew by us, as we continued on, my wooden mudboard easily cutting through the wet dirt and ash. Sasuke looked back at me calmly.

"Yes, it was me. I killed everyone here. Except you and Naruto." He replied. I dipped my head slightly, gritting my teeth.

"You killed them all for what? Your revenge?" I shot back, my voice a tense snarl. He smiled, and nodded.

"It was all for my sweet revenge. Itachi told me to kill them all. And once I did, I would be strong enough to kill him." He answered. I shook my head hard, screwing my eyes shut tight.

"Killing the village won't accomplish anything! Don't you know that?" I retorted, my voice breaking. Tears threatened to fall over onto my cheeks, and I closed my eyes again, holding them back. Sasuke smiled.

"Yes, it will. By destroying the Leaf village, and my closest friends, I have gained the Mangekyō Sharingan. " He replied, closing his black eyes, then opening them, his sharingan activating. _If we fight, I'm at the disadvantage. But, the sharingan uses an incredible amount of chakra .If I can hold out for that long, I'll defeat Sasuke. _I narrowed my eyes, planting my feet on the plank of wood.

"I will make you pay for what you've done here, Sasuke Uchiha." I snarled back. He nodded, his lips curling up.

"Go ahead and try." He replied, drawing his katana. We stared at each other, pieces of fire flying past our faces, our eyes screaming at each other to move, but our hearts pounded in our chests, calling out to the other. I pulled out two shuriken, and threw them at Sasuke, who deflected them with barely any effort. He jumped down onto the plank of wood I was standing on, as I threw my kunai. His sword rang as the metal knives clanged off of it. I back flipped, as he slammed into the piece of wood, chidori streams flowing from his feet. _Such powerful chakra…_ I drew another two kunai, and sliced at him, Sasuke lifting up his sword to deflect the strikes. I sliced right, left, above, right, left, and above again, Sasuke deflecting them all. He lifted his sword to bring it down on my head, chidori streams crackling down it. _Here he comes!_ He brought it down, and I lifted my kunai, slamming them into his falling blade. The weapons rang as they collided, and I felt my hands get shoved aside, the kunai getting sliced in half. I widened my eyes, as his sword came down toward my chest. _If that pierces my heart, I'm done for! _I back flipped, using my feet to knock his sword out of his hands as I dodged neatly. I landed on the ground in a crouch, my left hand flat to the wood, panting.

"That was close…" I muttered. Sasuke slid backwards across the ground, crouching above the ground.

"You've gotten better, Sakura. Much better." He muttered back, his sharingan eyes glowing. I gritted my teeth, and rushed him, spin kicking at his gut, attempting to knock him off of the plank of wood. He lifted up his foot, blocking my kick. I swung my leg in a circle, shoving his foot off of mine, and I jumped up into the air, spinning around, lifting up my left leg, kicking him with that one instead. His eyes widened in surprise, and he recoiled as my toes made contact with his chest. I back flipped off of his chest, and landed a few feet away from him. Sasuke ran at me, and I started kicking, dodging, punching, doing anything I could to hurt him. I widened my irises, as his fist made contact with my jaw, while mine hit his in the same place. We both flew backwards, somersaulting, and rushing at each other again once we landed. I saw his sword, and tucked my right foot under it, lifting it up with my toes. It flew up into the air, and I jumped up, reaching for it. I watched the spin of the sword carefully, and saw Sasuke out of the corner of my eyes get down on one knee, holding his left arm. _I knew I hit him that time! _The sound of chirping birds filled my ears, as a blue light blinded my eyes. _What the hell?!_ My hand made contact with the handle of his katana as he punched me in the back, chidori currents coursing through me.

"AAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed as I dropped his sword, being held up in the air by his fist alone, blue lightning bolts crackling over my whole body. Intense pain shot up and down my spine, fire burning in my arms and legs. I bent backward, my head dropping, as I drifted toward unconsciousness. I closed my eyes slowly, the flames of the dying buildings fading from my sight, as my head fell farther backward. _I failed you…Naruto…_

"Sakura, no!" I heard a voice call. Sasuke lowered his fist, and I felt him catch me in his arms, the chidori currents crackling out of existence. I felt something warm and wet drip down my right arm, and I smelled the rusty smell of blood. I gritted my teeth, the pain closing in.

"Sasuke, let her go! Your fight is with me!" I heard two feet land on the plank of wood, and I managed to open my right eye, seeing Naruto standing across from Sasuke, all blurred up from my cloudy vision.

"Naruto…" I breathed. Sasuke smiled, and tossed me to Naruto.

"Fine. Let's finish this, Naruto. The fight we never got to finish in the Final Valley." He grabbed his left arm in his right hand, lightning crackling up and down it. Naruto caught me, and laid me down behind him carefully, my blood staining his fingers.

"You take it easy, Sakura. I'll handle this. I promise." And he went off to fight. The only things I could hear where Sasuke and Naruto's battle cries, the collisions of justus, and the pained screeches when they got hit. I felt the pain in my body subsiding, and I managed to open my eyes. _I have to help Naruto…_I rolled over onto my stomach, holding my right hand in front of my eyes. _Focus your chakra, Sakura…_Green fire slowly lit up along my right hand, swirling around it, dancing between my fingers. I reached my hand toward my back, my muscles protesting. _Almost there…_I felt the wound start to close up, and the blood that was on the ground start to flow back into it. I exhaled, as my strength and chakra slowly was restored, smiling slightly. The wound closed up, and I stayed still. _I have to wait until Sasuke comes close to me…Just like I did with Sasori's Third Kazekage_ _puppet_…I heard scuffling, and Naruto's pained screech. I kept absolutely still, listening. Naruto charged up Rasengan, Sasuke Chidori. I heard them run at each other, the two jutsus colliding, a massive wind blowing across the plank of wood. Naruto rolled across, stopping right in front of me. I heard Sasuke catch his breath, then take a few steps toward us. I tightened my right hand into a fist, willing my chakra into it, blue fire barely able to be seen as it flew around it.

"That was a noble attempt, Naruto. Nice try. But not good enough!" Sasuke cried, running at us, picking up his sword, and holding it above his head. _1…2…3!_ I counted in my head, bringing my legs under me, and coming up, pulling my fist back as the fire intensified.

"Hell yeah! Cherry Blossom Thrust!" I shouted, snapping my fist forward, the blue fire molding together into a royal spear on the edge of my fist. Sasuke's eyes widened, and he brought his blade down, attempting to block the attack. My lip curled up, as my chakra infused fist smashed right through Sasuke's katana, and slammed into his vulnerable gut, the impact causing an invisible shockwave to reverberate off of his body. He gasped as the air was shoved out of his body, his eyes wider. Time seemed to slow down, as pieces of metal flew past my eyes, which held steady, my pink bangs blowing into them. My gaze met Sasuke's, mine emotionless, and unfeeling. _Goodbye, Sasuke…You were the first boy I ever loved…_He slumped forward onto my fist, his face landing on my arm, his breathing stopped. I sat there, crouched over Naruto, panting hard as fire raged around the three of us, the plank of wood finally slowing down. I laid Sasuke's body down carefully, pressing my fingers to his pressure points, getting no pulse in return. I finally laid my right hand over his heart, no beat pushed against my palm. I let the tears I had been holding back spill over, not sobbing, not sniffling, just silently crying. _A shinobi must never show his feelings. No matter what the circumstance is. Feelings are a weakness that cloud his judgment and weaken his sense of duty. _I chanted those words over and over in my head, fighting back sobs as I realized that I had killed the only boy I had ever loved over my entire life. Flash. His back in front of me when he protected me. Flash. His arms around me as he carried me away from Orochimaru. Flash. His voice when he asked me who had hurt me. Flash the look in his eyes as he turned around while I held him. Flash. The feeling of holding him in my arms when he had fallen into them. Flash. His soft smile when he had left that night. Flash. His voice in my ear before he had knocked me out. Flash. I widened my irises, as more tears fell, and I finally gave myself over to my emotions, sobbing hard.

"Sasuke! I'm sorry I killed you! Please, I'm begging you, forgive me…" I cried, throwing my head onto his chest, clutching at his shirt, snot and tears wetting his and my upper body. I cried openly, ignoring my inner voice that repeated the 25th principle of Shinobi conduct over and over again in my skull. My heart pounded against my rib cage, crying as I was. I felt something stir, and I looked up.

"Sakura…Why are you crying?" I heard a familiar voice breathe groggily. I turned to Sasuke's face, and saw his eyes wide open, just like when we were on the bridge after he had woken up from Haku's onslaught with the crystal ice mirrors. I choked on tears, looking down at him.

"Sakura…He's alive, alive!" I cried, throwing my head down on his chest again, hearing his heart beat in my ear, loud and strong. Sasuke tensed up, gritting his teeth.

"Ow, Sakura that hurts." He moaned, trying to sit up as I sobbed his name over and over again. I pulled back as his stomach pressed against my forehead.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't move." I sat up straight, watching him, while resting my hands on his shoulders.

"Is Naruto alright? I need to talk to him." He sighed, breathing heavily. I turned to Naruto, and shook him, leaning my face close to his ear.

"Naruto, wake up. Someone wants to talk to you." I breathed gently, running my right hand over his wounds, the green fire flashing into existence. Naruto yawned, and sat up, seeing Sasuke wide awake.

"Whoa, Sakura get behind me!" Naruto shouted, grabbing my arm, and dragging me behind him. Sasuke shook his head.

"Naruto, it's over. I…I'm not the same person anymore. I saw my parents. While I was dead. They told me that I didn't need to take revenge for them. They said that I shouldn't waste my life hung up on avenging people who have been dead for a long time. They said that I should spend the rest of my life with you, Kakashi-sensei, and you…Sakura…" He replied, looking at me with soft, weak eyes. I lifted my head up slightly, my heart pounding once. Naruto smiled.

"Glad to have you back, old friend." Naruto held up his fist. Sasuke smiled, and they knuckle touched. I smiled through tears of happiness, and wiped at my eyes. _Just like old times…_I felt hands cradle my face, and I widened my eyes, my eyes darting from hand to hand, until finally looking into Sasuke's eyes.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about you, Sakura." He murmured, smiling teasingly. I nodded, blinking. Naruto smirked, as Sasuke leaned in closer, so close, that our lips nearly touched. I closed my eyes.

"Sakura…Thank you…For everything…" He breathed, his lips coming down on mine gently. I sat there surprised, my cheeks redder than a tomato, my body stock still. All too soon, he pulled away, brushing my hair from my face, dropping his hands from my cheeks. I opened my eyes, nodding.

"No problem, Sasuke. That's what teammates do for each other. Remember? We're all on this squad, and we all fight together." I replied, my voice strong. Sasuke smiled, and nodded. Naruto did the same, and looked around.

"But what about the village?" He asked. Sasuke waved it off.

"Watch." He clasped his hands together, wind blowing from the three of us, rainbow chakra flying over the village as the parts of the buildings were restored in sparkling rainbow stardust, the flames blowing away. The plank of wood slowed down a little more, giving us a perfect view of Sasuke's jutsu restoring the village to its old self again. I left my mouth drop, my eyes wide in wonder, as I turned my head, taking it all in. The rainbow chakra started to fade, as the very last building was fixed. The wooden plank stopped right in front of Tsunade's office building, and we stood up shakily, Sasuke leaning on me heavily. We looked up at the building, the wind blowing gently.

"It's never looked better, Sasuke." Naruto sighed. Sasuke nodded to him.

"Hey, Sakura! Naruto!" I turned at the voices, seeing Ino and the others running toward us. I smiled happily, and Naruto nodded to me, taking Sasuke from me. I dipped my head in thanks, then ran over to Ino, hugging her tightly.

"Thank god you're alright! I missed you so much!" I cried, tears falling down my cheeks. She nodded, patting my back.

"I missed you too, Sakura." She murmured. We pulled back, and I looked around, seeing all of the villagers standing behind her.

"How did you-" I started.

"-Survive? We knew it was coming, and we got all of the villagers evacuated in time. We all watched you fight from the top of the hill." She explained. Tsunade came up alongside her.

"Sakura, well done. You protected this village, fought for it, and managed to bring back your lost teammate from the darkness. Because of that, you have my thanks, young chunin." Tsunade dipped her head, and bowed to me. I saw the whole line of villagers bow to me out of respect, and I nodded, bowing back. Kakashi-sensei walked up to me, along with the others.

"You were great Sakura. I'm very proud of you." Kakashi-sensei praised. Naruto helped Sasuke walk up to stand alongside me, and the three of us stared back at Kakashi-sensei.

"Kakashi, I'm sorry I left in the first place. My parents, they told me to spend the rest of my life with Naruto and Sakura, which is what I wish to do, as long as you'll let me." Sasuke started. Kakashi-sensei turned to Tsunade. She smiled, nodding once.

"You may, Sasuke. We're happy to have you back." Kakashi-sensei smiled, nodding. Naruto cheered, and I jumped up into the air once.

"Yes!" I cried. Everyone else cheered, and broke off, heading to their homes to regroup. Soon, the only ones left standing in the middle of the village were Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei and I. Team 7. I looked up at the sky, and felt my heart flutter. _Thank you. _Sasuke grabbed my hand, and took a step toward the path out of the village.

"Let's go for a walk." He suggested. I nodded, then turned to Kakashi-sensei. He gave his permission, and dragged Naruto toward the ramen shop. Sasuke turned and look at me, as I looked back at the stubborn Naruto. I felt a subtle tug on my hand.

"You coming?" He asked softly, and I turned back to him.

"Yes, let's go." I replied, and we started walking. He led me down the street, around the busy villagers, through the smell of people cooking food. My stomach growled, and I willed it to be quiet. Sasuke noticed before I could stop it with a hard slap.

"Don't worry. This won't take long. Then we'll go join the others at the ramen shop. I promise." He smiled. I nodded, following him.

"I believe you. With all my heart." I replied. We stopped right by the bench, where we had been alone for the first time, as well as where we had parted ways that night. I took a step in front of him, as he dropped my hand.

"This is…" I started. He nodded.

"Yes. This is our spot. Where we had first actually met each other. And where I left you." He replied, coming up beside me. I turned to him, and he reached up with his left hand, and kissed me deeply. I cupped his face gently, as I kissed him back, Sasuke wrapping his arms around me. The wind blew our bangs into each other's eyes, the fading sunlight glowing through the strands delicately. I pressed my lips to his again gently, closing my green eyes, his lips softer and sweeter than I could have ever imagined in my entire lifetime. My fingers locked in his side bangs, sliding up the sides of his head, finally knotting themselves into his hair. He held me tighter, kissing me back intensely, our lips moving in synchronization, as the wind blew cherry blossom petals around us in a swirling pink cloud, shielding us from sight in a sweet smelling veil. We pulled apart, my hands falling onto his collarbone, as I looked into his eyes. He stared back at me, his onyx orbs shining with a hungry luster. I leaned in toward him again, slowly this time. He leaned in toward me too, closing the distance between our faces. Just as his lips were about to touch mine again, my stomach growled. I pulled away, grabbing my stomach. Sasuke laughed, and shook his head.

"It's alright Sakura. I told you we'd go and eat something. So let's go." He scooped me up, and carried me toward the ramen shop. Five minutes later, we made it to the door, which I opened from my place in his arms. Sasuke walked through it, all of our peers turning toward the door and looking at us. Ino smiled, as Sasuke carried me over to Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, the only empty seats next to them. He set me down, and we sat down next to them. Everyone started talking amongst themselves, and I grabbed a plate, picking up my chopsticks, reaching toward the slices of pork.

"So, um, Sakura…" Naruto started. I looked up at him from my plate.

"Yes, Naruto?" I asked. He smirked.

"Did Sasuke kiss you?" He asked, his lips curling up higher. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Shut up, loser." He reached over and banged his fist down on Naruto's head teasingly. Kakashi-sensei laugh, and I smiled at them. _It's almost as if nothing has changed…Like the past two years never even happened…_I lowered my head, smiling through more tears, clutching my hands to my chest. _Thank you, Lady Uchiha…I owe you more than you will ever know…_ An image swam in front of my closed eyes, a woman, the same dark hair as Sasuke, her face bathed in radiant light, her smile contagious. She nodded.

"Take care of him for me, young Kunoichi…I'm counting on you…" Her voice drifted across my mind sweetly. I nodded, lifting my head, and looking at Sasuke's smiling face. _I will…I promise you! _I opened my eyes, and started eating again. Naruto and Sasuke looked over at me, confused.

"What was that about, Sakura?" Sasuke asked. I looked at him, surprised.

"Huh? What?" I stammered. Naruto gestured to my hands, which were tensed.

"You said something about promising someone something." He explained. I was acutely aware of Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei's eyes on me. I simply looked out the window, smiling into the wind, the starlight glittering in my eyes.

"It was nothing. I just made a promise of a lifetime."


End file.
